Balto: The Northern Ice
by JackOdd
Summary: When Aleu is lost at sea, can her family save her?
1. Lost at sea

Aleu scrambled to the other side of the pack's iceberg. The waves, becoming ever more violent, threatened to throw her, and all the other passengers, off. The ever-worsening weather made her wish she had not eaten breakfast.

"Mommy," screamed a pup, as he slid right off the edge of the ice. A wave brought him up and over, back onto the ice.

"KODI," screamed Aleu. This pup had been named for Aleu's brother of the same name. He was one of only two survivors of her first, and only, litter.

Suddeny, a huge wave came and swept Aleu right off her feet. She was washed out, away from the ice. she found that they had been closer to land than she had thought as she was dashed against rocks once, twice, three times. Aleu saw a raven flying overhead, but it looked strange, like the raven itself was echoing as it flew over the shore. Then, everything went black.

* * *

Balto sat up quickly. _It's ok, it was only a dream,_ he told himself. The images stuck in his mind like a bad aftertaste, and he shook himself as if to shake them off.

It had been almost two years since Aleu left, and Balto was still having nightmares of a horrible accident, where Aleu drowned. This one, however, was different. The puppy that had almost washed off the iceberg was new, Balto was sure of it. And that raven had never been there before, either.

"Balto? Balto, are you in there?" Jenna called,"The pups are waiting for you. You promised to take them on a picnic today! Balto?"

"I'm here, Jenna," Balto said, crawling down the side of his boat,"I just can't seem to stay asleep at night anymore. not since Aleu left."

"Agh! Zeez puppies are crazy! Zay szeem to think zat I am chew toy," a cranky Borris grumbled," And besidez zat, zoes dreamz are not letting you sleep again."

"Borris, you weren't supposed to tell Jenna!"

"Balto, what dreams?" Jenna inquired," What about?"

"Nothing, just probably something I ate doesn't agree with me," Balto lied. He could tell that Jenna could tell that he was lying. She had that look again.

Borris gave in to Jenna's stare, even thought it wasn't directed at him," Balto is having dream of Aleu drowning over, and over again. Last time Balto iz having same dream over, Aleu left to be with wolves. I sink eet also came true."

Jenna gave Balto an angry look for some reason.

"What?" Balto cried.

Jenna never got a chance to answer. A grey-brown streak pounced Balto from the side, and it growled playfully. A trio of red puppies ran to catch up with their brother, who was wrestling with Balto.

Balto tried to pin his young son, but was startled when his yellow and blue eyes lost all color except yellow and seemed to glow, despite the bright sun.

After a split second, the dog's eyes returned to normal, and he asked," What's the matter, dad?"

Balto, still stunned, said,"That thing you just did with your eyes...How'd you do that, Nat?"

Nathon, the only brown puppy of his litter, looked confused."What thing I did with my eyes?"

Balto marveled at how much Nathon looked like Aleu. If Nathon were female, he could be Aleu's exact twin.

"You made your eyes glow, Nathon," Jenna cut in, I saw it, too."

Nathon frowned. He shook his head, saying,"I didn't do anything with my eyes. I think you imagined it. C'mon, let's go on our picnic!"

Balto grimmaced as the puppys, already more than a year old, ran ahead to find a good spot on the beach."The last time I saw anything like that happen was right before Aleu left. Aleu saved us from an angry bear by reading the bear's mind."

* * *

Kodi yawned as he let himself get hooked to the harness."Morning, everybody. Ready for the return trip?" Kodi smiled as affirmations came forward from all the dogs strapped in behind him. He loved being the lead dog for the mail team. It made him feel important, and he got to hear all the humans gossiping better. The driver was stopped as a friendly neighbor started talking about a familiar subject- wolves.

Kodi sighed. He was sick about hearing about wolves. Balto had started telling his younger siblings about wolves ever since they could talk. He was preparing Nat for when he found out 'how humans viewed him.' Even so, Kodi got sick of hearing about it. Then Kodi heard something that got his attention.

"-Wolves disappeared from the Bay Islands. The same ones that came out of nowhere two years ago," the friendly neighbor was saying,"and scientists think they wandered onto an iceberg that got caught in a storm. They found most of them, but a few are missing. Those ones may have escaped to land, and are thought to be roaming the area. Be careful."

Kodi was confused. Was this the same pack Aleu was with? If it was, where was Aleu? Was she all right?

Kodi rushed the team home that day, so he could tell the news to Balto and Jenna.

* * *

Dingo waited for his father. He had some news from his job at the newspaper office.

Since he didn't know where Balto was, he could only wait.

Dingo hated waiting.

As Dingo looked for Balto, he saw a greyish lump floating lazily on the waves.

Having nothing better to do, Dingo waded out to inspect it. It was furry. And alive. And looking very tired and knocked out. Dingo dragged it onto shore.

'Great. Now I have to make sure whoever this is doesn't die,' Dingo thought crossly. He pressed on the strange creature's stomach, and it spewed seawater.

And then, it spoke, in a soft, tired voice.

"Paws off, shrimp. Don't touch me!"

Feeling annoyed, Dingo retreated a few steps. The shape stood up and shook the water out of it's fur.

It was a female, obviously a purebred wolf.

"You probably expect me to thank you for saving my life," she said.

"Not really," was Dingo's reply," I've heard that wolves aren't ones to talk to dogs all that much."

With an angry growl, the wolf whirled and stuck her nose in Dingo's face. "Who told you that?!"

"My dad," said Dingo calmly, "Here he comes now."

"I'm gonna give him a peice of my mind, is what I'm gonna-"She stopped mid-sentence. Looked at Dingo, the at Balto, then back to Dingo. "Your father is Balto?"

Dingo stared the wolf straight in the eye, and said "Yes. Why act surprised?"

Balto approached and studied the wolf, then asked, "Who is this, Dingo?"

Dingo explained the situation, and the wolf introduced herself as Snow Tracks, of the Western Ice pack.

"I was chosen to deliver unfortunate news to one Balto of Nome. Seeing as how I've found him, I will now deliver my message."

* * *

Lina sniffed around for any sign of her mother. Finding nothing, she slowly walked back to the beach where her pack had landed. Her brother, Kodiak, came back at the exact same time from the other direction. Seeing he had also found nothing, she sat and shook her head sadly. After almost a whole day of searching, the only thing uncovered was that they were indeed back on the mainland.

A sudden yell from the woods startled Lina out of her thoughts. Two polar bears burst out of the woods, hugging Lina for some odd reason.

"Aleu! Aleu, is it really you? Please tell us it is, oh, please tell us it is!"Screamed the smaller bear, while the other one just whimpered as if he was crying, though that wasn't the case.

"KODI! Kodi, help! Kodi," shrieked Lina at the top of her lungs. 'These bears are trying to suffocate me,' thought Lina with a gasp.

The bears looked confused. The bigger one whimpered some more, and the smaller one said," You're right, Luk. Kodi's still in Nome, so why is Aleu calling him?"

A redish-brown blur, and the small bear was pinned to the ground. Kodi was on top, and growling angrily.

"Claws off my sister, bucko!" Kodi roared.

The bear shuddered, then exclaimed,"Your sister! I thought it was Aleu, I swear!"

Now it was Kodi's turn to look confused. "Aleu is the name of our mother. How do _you_ know her?" demanded Lina.

"We know her parents. I'm Muk, and this is my brother, Luk. He can't talk," stated the small bear, "Where is Aleu?"

"We don't know. For all we know, she is..." started Lina, then stopped herself,"No. She's fine. She has to be! We already lost dad, so we can't also lose mom."

* * *

Aleu opened her eyes. She slowly lifted her head, then flinched. She was hurt, but she didn't know how badly.

"Oh, good, you're awake. For a while, I wasn't sure you would make it."

Ignoring her pain, Aleu spun around. The voice had come from a wolf with black fur and a grey underbelly.

"Niju? You saved me? Why?" Aleu was confused. This was the same wolf that had attacked her on the first trip...Wasn't it?

"Let's just leave it at it wasn't my idea." Niju intoned as he sat on the other side of the cave where they were.

Aleu grinned. Nava. It had been Nava's idea to save her. Niju's thoughts told her so.

Niju suddenly jumped up and backed away from her. "Creepy! Creepy eyes! Get away from me, you!"

Aleu ignored Niju's reaction and said,"I see you still think as much about Nava as you did when I left. You say he left this morning, and said that I was not to leave? Interesting. I think I will anyway."

Aleu got up and started walking toward the cave exit, only to be hit with a seering pain in her left foreleg. She muttered and limped toward the cave exit, only to be blocked by a grey mass.

* * *

Balto screamed,"What do you mean, you lost her?! She is supposed to be your Alpha, and you lost her? I'm glad I didn't lead! You might have lost me!"

Snow Tracks waited for a moment, the said,"Are you done?"

Balto took a beep dreath and muttered,"For now."

"Good. We were returning across the sea on a homemade iceberg when we were caught in a storm. We lost several good wolves to the angry waters, including your daughter only minutes before we struck aground. Before I left, we had found all the other wolves swimming toward shore. The only one still missing is-was- Aleu. We did find where she washed ashore, but she herself was not there. She appears to have been dragged further inland."

"Could you follow the trail?" Balto seemed worried.

"For a short while. It was lost when it went into another pack's territory. No one dared follow it further."

A distant voice called, getting louder. It seemed to be approaching quite rapidly.

"It's Muk! He seems excited about something," Balto noted.

Soon after, Muk, Luk, and two wolf-dogs, one male and one female, climbed onto the boat. The male was grey with a red tint, and the other looked exactly like Aleu.

"Balto, these are Aleu's pups! We found them when we were playing in the forest! Well, we actually found them and thought we had found Aleu and so we hugged her and she called for him and-" Muk started to talk excitedly, but Balto interupted him.

"Before you get talking about your entire day, let's first get everybody knowing each other and comfortable," Balto said before Muk could try to talk over him.

`"Right, as always, Balto. This is-" Muk was interupted again as Nathon wandered in, eyes all aglow.

"Sira and Kodiak," he finished. He was obviously hoping to scare the guests.

"Hey! Our mom can do that trick," exclaimed Sira.

"And it doesn't scare us anymore,"added Kodiak," Please, call me Kodi."

"I'm afraid that might cause problems,"the other Kodi said from the corner,"since my name is also Kodi."

Snow Tracks already had a solution. "We'll call the older Kodi by his full name, Kodiak, and the younger one, Kodi. Problem solved."

"That might work for now, but I'm not going by Kodiak for the rest of my life."

"You won't have to. Sira and I are leaving as soon as we find mom."

The argument between the two Kodis continued in the background for a while, while everyone else discussed what to do about the missing Aleu situation.

* * *

"Nava! You scared me half to death! Now," said Aleu determinedly,"get outta my way. I've got to get back to my pack."

"Aleu, you are not going anywhere until the help I've sent for gets here."Nava was determined, too. "You broke your leg and several boves during your little swim, and several other bones besides."

"Nava, you should just let her go. She's got her father's legendary stubborness."

"Normally, I wouldn't agree with Niju, but for this case, I'll make an exception." Aleu was leaving whether Nava allowed it or not.

"Aleu, you can barely walk. How are you expecting to get past me?" Nava had a point; she couldn't walk easily. She wasn't going to let a little thing like that stop her. She tried to limp past Nava, knowing full well that he would move to block her.

As Nava moved one way to block her, Aleu used her three good legs to vault herself to the wall of the entryway, then up and over Nava. One thing Aleu hadn't counted on, though, was how she was going to land with just three legs.

* * *

Moon Waters was upset. First, she had allowed the pack's Alpha to wash overboard, then she had lost her children. She was going to get in huge trouble by the Beta, the second in command.

If Gasi Mordos, the Beta wolf, found out, Moon waters would be demoted from Delta, fourth in command, to Chi, twenty-second in command, in charge of only the Psi and Omega, the lowest ranks reserved only for traitors and thieves.

Frightened by the aspect of even more demotion, Moon waters ran in the direction of where they had lost Aleu's trail: another pack's territory.

After examining Aleu, Nava declared,"Aleu, this is why we don't perform flips with a broken leg. First, you broke your leg, and now you gave it the matching one for company. Congratulations, you are the only creature on four legs that I've heard of to break two legs at once."

"Ow. It sure smarts. OW!" Aleu grumbled.

"Of course it smarts. You have two broken legs!" Niju shouted from his watch post outside.

There was a sound of footsteps, then, "Who are you? What do you want?"

A voice said,"You don't recognize me? Well, I recognize you, Niju."

A very confused and stunned Niju backed into the cave, followed by a less-confused but more-angry Moon Waters. The two were growling at each other, but as soon as Moon Waters saw Aleu, she left Niju alone and walked toward Aleu.

Aleu watched as Moon Waters saw her wounds and looked first surprised, then upset, and finally scared.

"Aleu! I...uh..."Moon Waters stuttered.

"Oh, so you _can_ talk,"Aleu stated conversationally.

"Can I?" Moon Waters said stupidly.

"Why are you here?" Aleu was demanding,"We agreed that if anything happened to me, you would keep an eye on the pups."

Moon Waters sighed. There was no escape. She would have to explain to Aleu what had happened to her pups.

* * *

Balto inched toward Jenna's house. He had to tell her what he had learned about Aleu's whereabouts. She saw him and came out.

* * *

Nathon was talking to Kodi. It was his job to be polite. So far, he wasn't getting much cooperation.

Kodiak was keeping an eye on them, so they didn't get into trouble. He wasn't succeding, either.

* * *

A raven flew through town, leaving ghosts of itself behind it. Balto, Jenna, Kodi, Kodiak, Sira, Luk, Snow Tracks, and Muk say it and started to follow it, knowing that it held some importance.

* * *

"You _what?!_" Aleu said, trying not to scream.

"I...er...misplaced your children. I saw who they left with, but they went into another pack's territory and I lost them." Moon Waters cowered just out of Aleu's reach.

"Describe who they went with," challenged Aleu.

"Two polar bears. One was big, and couldn't talk, and one was small and very talkative." Moon Waters braced for an attack from Aleu. None came. In fact, Aleu was laughing.

"Muk and Luk. Those idiots are still hanging around! They will take my babies to my father, and he will take good care of them. Moon Waters, You did good letting them follow instead of calling for them to stop. Remind me to give you a promotion."

* * *

"Now we are being lost," said Borris grumpily," and I am missing date with Stella. You-"Borris whirled to face Balto,"had to follow raven. Then raven is disappearing, and leaving us lost in middle of forest!"

"When we got lost on the island, mom taught us a song that somehow got us un-lost. We have nothing better to do. Want to hear it?" Sira was trying to be helpful.

Jenna sighed."Sure. If nothing else, it will cheer us up."

Sira took a deep breath and sang in a sweet, clear soprano:

_Praise for the high tide,_

_Praise for the seaside,_

_Praise for the sun at high noon._

_Praise for the lightning,_

_Praise for the singing._

_Praise the father sun and sister moon. _

As Sira sang each part, Balto's eyes and ears were tricked. He saw and heard what Sira was singing about.

Sira kept singing, and Kodi joined in with a beautiful tenor.

_Praise for the red dawn,_

_Grass that we walk upon, _

_Praise for the river's whispered tune._

_Praise for the wind brother,_

_Praise for the earth mother,_

_Praise the father sun and sister moon._

_Praise the father sun and sister moon._

As the last notes cleared, Balto suddenly picked up a familiar scent drifting on the wind. One he hadn't smelled in two years, but still remembered well. Aleu.

Balto looked around, and saw that the others had the trail, also. He started following it.

Sira and Kodi ran ahead and fell through a hole in the ground, then were chased out by a wolf with black fur.

"Niju! Guess who," Balto called.

Niju spun around, then moved aside as Nava came out.

"Balto! I thought that was you! Come on in, Aleu is here!" Nava called back, though Balto probably could have heard him without the shout.

Balto heard Aleu's name and picked up the pace in order to see her. He went into the cave and skidded to a stop, horrified.

"Hello, papa." Aleu spoke calmly, but Balto could tell that she was in great pain.

"We need to get you to Nome," Balto heard Nava say.

"Good luck with that. I wouldn't expect too much help from me, not with these broken legs."

Balto noticed for the first time that Aleu seemed to have an extra knee on both forelegs.

Suddenly, from just outside the cave, Niju said,"We get anymore dogs out here and this place'll be a suburb."

Balto and Jenna went outside to see Dusty hooked up to the mail sled. She was the only one hooked to the sled, but the other harnesses were attached.

With a smirk, Dusty flicked her tail and said,"Somebody call for a special mail pickup?"

* * *

It took everybody to get Aleu onto the sled. When they finally got her on, Aleu fell asleep.

Balto slipped into one of the harnesses, Kodiak slipped into another, and yet another was filled by Jenna. They were still two dogs short of a full team.

After a moment's hesitation, Kodi stepped forward and attempted to get into one of the harnesses. Nava stepped in and helped, then helped Sira climb into the last one.

* * *

Kodiak snuck up behind Dusty and shouted,"Boo!"

Dusty shrieked and jumped high in the air.

After Dusty calmed down, Kodiak asked,"How did you know we needed your help out there in the forest?"

"Actually, your little brother, Nathon told me. He said,"she frowned, trying to remember,"that a little birdy told him. He said that you would know what that means."

"Actually, I do. The same little birdy told us where to find Aleu."

* * *

Aleu stirred. She could hear voices. Human voices.

"She suffered six broken bones, including two broken legs, fluid in the lungs, and a minor concussion. If Balto and them hadn't brought her here when they did, she wouldn't have made it. As it is, she's barely alive."

Somehow, Aleu know they were talking about her. She smiled, then fell back into a deep sleep.

She was going to make it, after all.

You don't get to be Alpha for nothing.

Songs used: Muru's Chant (from Balto 2: Wolf Quest)

Balto, Aleu, Jenna, Kodiak, Dusty, Dingo, Nava, Niju, Borris, Stella, Muk, Luk, the Raven, copyright Universal Studios

Snow Tracks, Kodi, Sira, Moon Waters, Nathon, Gasi Mordos, copyright Aleuisbest (.org)/JackOdd()


	2. Of Bandits and Traitors

Sira crouched low. She knew her prey's every movement, every breath. The prey wandered closer, closer. Suddenly, Sira pounced. The prey came into sight as she bounded over the empty crates she had hidden behind.

Landing on top of Nathon, Sira shouted, "Tag! You're it," and bounced away giddily.

"Oh, no you don't," Nathon growled under his breath and ran after her. He had two advantages over her: one, he knew where she was going, and two, he knew a shortcut.

As Nathon turned to use his shortcut, he ran into Borris, who was not looking very pleased with them.

"All right, enough with ze roughhousing," Borris yelled. With a collective groan of dissapointment, Sira and Nathon sat before Borris. They knew better than to mess with Borris, even though Sira had only been in town for a week.

"I am supposed to be babysitting. How am I supposed to babysit vhen you don't sit novhere for more then two seconds?" Borris lectured.

"That's 'anywhere,' Uncle Borris," corrected Nathon. His yellow eyes were glowing, indicating that he could and was reading Borris's thoughts. Sira grinned. Her mother had had this exact same conversation with this exact same goose exactly two years ago today.

The thought of her mother sent Sira's mind reeling. Aleu, Sira and Kodi's mother, had been in the Nome Animal Hospital for a week, and she was still to regain consciousness enough to talk with them.

Borris's voice brought Sira back to the present.

"You," Borris yelled, whirling to face Nathon," are as bad as older sister! And you," Borris fixed his attention on Sira," are as bad as mother! Now, where is Kodi? He vas here just second ago..."

Kodi, named after his uncle, Kodiak, pounced Borris from atop the nearby pile of crates.

"That was fun! I can see why you like it, Sira! Sira? Where'd you go?"

**********

Kodiak ran as hard as he could, ignoring his team's protests and his own aching muscles. He had to get back home as soon as possible. Aleu might need him.

From behind Kodiak and to the right, Dusty called," Kodi! We're going into wolf territory! We won't get home any faster by getting killed, I'm pretty sure!"

Kodiak pretended not to hear and ran faster. He was driven by one thought:' I have to get home. I have to be there when my baby sister wakes up.'

Suddenly, and out of nowhere, a snowy-white wolf appeared in front of them. Kodiak swerved to avoid her, but the sled was moving too fast and capsized.

**********

Balto sat by Aleu's hospital bed and thought about the good times he had had with her.

He thought about the day all her brothers and sisters had been adopted by humans, but not Aleu.

He thought about the day that he had told Aleu about her heritage.

He thought about the nightmares he had had about what might have happened to her after she left.

Most of all, he thought about when he was gonna tell Nathon, his only other lupine child, about his ancesters.

"I suggest tonight, right after dinner."

Balto started at the unexpected voice. Aleu was awake. She was giving him advise that was easier said than done.

In other words, she was feeling fine.

**********

Jenna was worried. Aleu had been here for nearly a week with almost no change.

The phone rang. Rosy's dad picked up.

"Hello? Oh, hello, doctor."

At the mention of a doctor, Jenna got tense. Was it Aleu's doctor? Was she all right?

"Okay, doctor. We'll be right over." Rosy's dad hung up the phone and smiled. "She's awake."

**********

Nava paced around in the cave. Balto had promiced to send a messenger as soon as Aleu came to.

That was almost a week ago.

A hyper yorkie suddenly ran through the trees and started shouting something about Aleu being awake.

Nava thanked the yorkie and sent him home. Then, and only then, did he heave a sigh of relief.

**********

Gasi Mordos grinned. With Aleu out of the picture, she could be Alpha without competition. She was glad she had kept her weather-control ability secret from Aleu.

First things first. She called her loyals to her and said,"Tell the rest of the pack the good news. If anyone oposes my rule, kill them."

**********

Steele grinned. Balto was preoccupied with the convienient return of the prodigal daughter, so he wouldn't notice when Steele killed his youngest son...

**********

Kodiak sat up. He didn't seem to be hurt.

Dusty hit Kodiak in the back of the head. Hard.

"Nice going, brainiac. Now we're stranded in wolf territory with a broken sled and an injured musher. I told you to slow down," Dusty half-yelled.

Kodiak didn't tell her the reason he had swerved. He knew that she would freak out if she knew he had seen a wolf.

**********

"Jenna, if you don't settle down, we're gonna have to leave you in the cold when we get to the vet, instead of taking you in to see Aleu," Rosy's dad threatened.

Jenna knew he meant it, too. She was just so happy that her daughter was awake.

**********

At the doctor's, the nurses were having a heck of a time with Aleu. They were trying to get Aleu off the IV and back on solid food, but she refused to eat.

They tried everything from dry and canned dog food to what you might find in a human's refrigerator.

Aleu turned her nose up at it all.

When Jenna walked in, the nurses were in a panic, saying that Aleu was a devil dog, and didn't have a stomach.

The doctor assured them that Aleu did, indeed, have a stomach, by showing them x-rays of her insides.

As Jenna approached Aleu, she was surprised to see a little brown mouse appear by Aleu's head.

Much to Jenna's surprise, Aleu giggled and told the mouse," Think they'll ever figure it out, Muru? I do not eat cooked meat anymore! It's funny to watch them try to find something that I'll eat, and yet not consider raw meat!"

The mouse,"Muru",and Jenna both simultaneously said,"Maybe you can make an exception, just this once."

At that, Aleu burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard, she almost fell off the table.

The mouse sighed. He looked at Jenna, then vanished.

Balto came from the back room, and started to say something to Jenna, but was interrupted by a fresh volley of laughter from Aleu. Balto took Jenna to the back room, where they could hear each other.

"They gave her a dose of painkillers, and it's made her a little loopy," Balto explained,"But at least she's having the time of her life."

Aleu yelled from the other room,"Hey, mom, get back in here! We can have a real party now! Dingo's here!" There was more wild laughter.

Dongo wandered in, looking a little disturbed.

"What's up with her?" He asked.

"Painkillers made her loopy,"Balto explained again.

"Maybe just a little. I was going to visit her, but not if she's going to act like she belongs in a white room and a straight jacket," Dingo said."Anyways, I got news. Bad news. From the overanxious scotty at the post office."

"Oh, him? Mel is always exaggerating. So what's up?"Jenna inquired.

"Well, besides having a sister that's tipsy, Kodiak's musher stopped responding to his handheld. And the team missed all the checkpoints except the first three."

"Well, I'm sure Kodiak has everything under control. And there's one good thing going on here. At least Aleu didn't see the needle." Everyone knew that Balto was right. If Aleu had seen the needle when the humans had drugged her, she would have been on her way out the door, broken legs or no.

**********

Steele worked his way through enemy territory.

The old boat was where he knew Nathon to be. He could smell him.

Steele snuck up ehind Nathon, making sure he was downwind. As Steele lunged for the mongerel, Nathon launched straight up into the air. Steele noticed his miss, but kept running. He didn't want to face the embarassment of missing.

Nathon watched Steele go, and smiled to himself as his eyes stopped glowing.

**********

Ralph was shivering. Kodiak noticed the weather getting colder, too.

He walked over and lay on top of the musher.

A wolf walked out of the woods, grinning evily.

"I am Roan, Psi of the Southern woods territory. You must," the wolf chuckled,"stay for dinner.

When all the other dogs cowered, Kodiak stepped foreward. "Why should I be afraid of a common thief? Your very status indicates that you are too lazy to hunt for yourself."

Roan looked impressed. "Who are you who is so wise to the ways of the wolf? A Nu, or spy, perhaps?"

"I am Kodiak, son of Balto," a surprised look spread across Roan's face,"and Jenna, brother to Aleu, Alpha of the Northern Ice Pack."

Dusty was still cowering, but slightly less. She was reassured that no harm would come.

Roan bowed to Kodiak. "Then you are Alpha-Beta, not an Alpha, but also not a Beta. Your wish is my command as long as you remain within these woods."

Kodiak placed his paw on the wolf's shoulder in ceremony, saying,"I accept your service. I will lead you well." Kodiak then looked around and said,"Help us right our sled, and tell me what you know of the Northern Ice."

**********

Aleu groaned and curled up. Finding this even more painful, Aleu returned to her previous position.

As Aleu looked up, she saw Jenna watching from across the room.

"Mom,"rasped Aleu in a hoarse voice,"Mom, I don't feel so good."

Jenna jumped down off the human's chair she had been sitting on and trotted across the room. She looked down at Aleu and frowned.

"No, I don't imagine you would. You were up all last night screaming and laughing and just having a party."

With a start, Aleu realized something._ Mom is above me, yet she didn't climb anything to get there._

Aleu looked around and found her theory to be correct. She was on the floor.

"Hey, how'd I get down here?"

Jenna shook her head and said,"Don't you remember? The nurses put you down here so you could try to use those special crutches."

Aleu frowned and looked at her legs. Sure enough, there were strange sticks attatched to them. They were similar to an old man's cane, except they were padded at the bottom with pieces of rubber shaped vaugly like a paw. They were only about an inch longer than Aleu's real legs, so she would have almost no trouble using them.

Aleu tentively tried to stand up. After a few attemps, Jenna helped get Aleu off the floor.

Aleu carefully put one crutch in front like she was walking on her own four paws.

"Well, look who's up so soon after her little hangover!" Balto came into the room."How you feeling, sport?"

Aleu glared at him.

"You must be fine, if you can make ME feel like I was the one who nearly drowned just by looking at me. By the way, I took your advise and told Nathon last night."

Jenna glared at Balto, then asked,"How did he take it?"

Balto shook his head. "Apparently, he's known for a while. It seems I talk in my sleep."

**********

Balto, Jenna, Aleu, Muru, Kodiak, Dusty, Ralph, Mel, Nava, Dingo, Boris, Steele copyright Universal.

Kodi, Nathon, Roan, Sira, Gasi Mordos copyright JackOdd.


	3. Consequences

Steele stalked in the bushes, careful to stay upwind and keep from rustling bushes. He was a dog on a mission. He had heard of Aleu's pack, how it was under new control.

He was here to help. This was his revenge.

**********

Gasi Mordos heard a rustle. It was so faint, that normal woves wouldn't have heard it.

Gasi Mordos was no ordinary wolf.

Without a word, Gasi Mordos sent her minions out to fetch the intruder. This would be fun.

**********

Balto smiled and shook his head. His daughter, Aleu, had been running into things all week. Now, she was finally getting used to her "wulf-crutches," as she called them.

Nathon, Balto's youngest son and also the most lupine of his children, walked up and sat beside Balto.

After a few seconds of silent contemplation, Nathon said,"I'd say 'a penny for your thoughts,' but I have no use for money. Also, I don't have to ask for your thoughts anymore."

Balto turned on Nathon and said,"Nat, you shouldn't use your power anymore. At least, not so frequently. Aleu said-"

"I know, I know. Every power comes with a consequence."

"Do you know what Aleu's consequence was?"

"Actually, no."

"When she sleeps, Aleu lives one nearby being's dreams. She cannot avoid it. She also cannot sleep at night." Balto thought back. His consequence was much the same. His dream-visions often woke him from even the deepest slumber.

"Well, I don't seem to have a consequence. If I do, it's a minor one that we don't notice."

Aleu stumbled her way over to the two wolf-dogs. "Actually, some consequences don't appear until years later. Those ones are the worst, and they are sometimes totally unrelated to the power."

Nathon thought for a minute, then agreed not to use his power of mind-reading so much. Secretly, Nathon crossed his toes.

**********

Kodiak pushed. The sled was still capsized, and it had been five days since the accident.

Though the musher had regained consciousness two days ago, his arm was broken, so he couldn't help.

Roan, the grey-brown wolf who had been helping the lost mail team, entered the clearing. He was dragging a caribou behind him.

The musher, seeing the wolf, went over to him. The musher patted the wolf on the head, then went to start a fire with his good hand.

Roan rubbed his head with his paw, then turned to Kodiak. "Why does he keep doing that, Kodi? I don't have that many fleas."

Kodiak chuckled. He had forgotten that wolves didn't know a human's habits.

"That's how a human shows affection or thanks to anything on four legs. I think he likes you."

Roan showed his fangs and then giggled and said,"Actually, I kind of like it. But I keep expecting him to pull a gun on me."

Out of nowhere, a second wolf came out of the forest. Roans startled expression revealed that he was not expecting company.

"That's Saline, our Alpha female. Why she has blessed us with her company, I know not. As you can see, she is in fact half dog."

Saline trotted over to the sled and examined it. Then, reaching in with one paw, Saline snapped something, then dashed out of the way as the sled fell to it's upright position.

Saline examied the sled again, then padded over to Kodiak. "Young Kodiak, I am your aunt."

**********

Kodi floated. He was playing in the ocean, and decided to float. So he floated.

Dingo called out for him to come in, it was getting late. Dingo was supposed to be babysitting. He was a good babysitter, strict, but willing to have fun.

It was actually supposed to be Kodiak's turn, but his sled team had vaporized off the map. Kodi hated Kodiak for having the same name as him.

As Kodi shook most of the water out of his fur, Dingo said,"It's going to be pretty nice out tonight. Want to come up the hill tonight with Sira and I to see my dad's trick?"

Kodi thought for a moment. He had been looking forward to seeing Balto's "trick" he was so proud of. "Ok, I think I'll go see this trick. What is it anyway?"

Dingo waggled his tail under Kodi's nose."Ah-ah-aah. It's a surprise!"

**********

`Steele was dragged along by his captors, a small group of wolves. They had popped out of nowhere and attacked him.

At least they were going where he wanted to go.

The wolves threw Steele like garbage at the feet of another wolf, with a fur of beautiful silver. She was obviously in charge.

Steele smiled and said, "Hello, great leader. I believe I have some information that may be useful to you."

**********

Aleu tripped over to Nathon.

Nathon greeted her with just a simple,"Hello."

Aleu smiled. Nathon was jealous of her!

"Hello, Junior. Lovely night out. Fresh bone for your thoughts."

"Well, now my thought are going,'WHY did she just call me Junior?'"

Aleu giggled.

"Oh, no, you aren't on painkillers again, are you?"

"Heck, no! If they tried to get that needle in me again, they would find out just how fast I can run! I was just thinking about when I was your age."

When Aleu didn't offer any more information, Nathon got bored and walked away.

A small brown mouse appeared next to Aleu. Without looking at him, Aleu said,"What am I going to do, Muru? My Beta wants me dead, my dad's enemy is telling her where I am, and I just called Nathon, Junior. My kids like my brothers more than me, Borris won't even talk to me, and mom keeps trying to sneak up when I'm talking to you."

Sure enough, Jenna came over the top of the hill at that exact moment. Muru vanished in a swirl of dust.

"There goes that mouse again. How come he leaves whenever I'm around? I know his name is Muru, but other than that, I don't know."

"Then you know more than dad. Muru is my spirit guide, and my most trusted advisor. I met him just after I left Nome, and he's saved my skin more than a few times since."

"I would like to meet him officially. He seems like a nice guy."

"He says that he can only talk o me wthout proper authorization from the spirit in charge. I tried to introduce him to a wolf once, and I got in trouble."

Jenna looked confused."So what exactly is a spirit guide?"

Aleu sighed."I guess I have nothing but time, and time is better spent without nagging. When every creature in the world is born, a spirit stands beside them."

Jenna looked even more confused. _Here it comes,_ thought Aleu.

"Why?" Jenna asked.

"To light thier way through the long dark night, and sing them songs to guide them."

"Why?"

Muru had returned, and was watching the conversation with interest.

"Because each of us has a destiny that sets us all apart. The path is different for you and me, but the journey begins in the heart." Aleu began to sing in the purest notes.

You must go to the east, go to the west.

The road is rocky and the way is far.

It's a dangerous trail, a difficult quest.

If you want to know...

Who you really are.

Other voices joined in with Aleu, but no one was around. Muru had vanished.

There are voices all around you.

To comfort and to guide you.

Fathers and teachers,

Powerful creatures.

And the voice that sings inside you...

Aleu's voice trailed off completely, but the voices kept singing.

Or you can turn back around.

Run along home.

Back to the place where your friends are.

Perhaps that is best. You need the rest.

Who wants to go on a ridiculous quest?

Unless you want to know,

You truely want to know,

Unless you want to know...

Who you really are.

The voices faded out of hearing, chanting "Who are you?" over and over again.

Jenna looked around, then popped off the ground. Aleu was gone, but there were no tracks leading down the hill.

Suddenly, Jenna understood. She would find out who she was, and she would start right now.

**********

Kodiak was speechless. "W-w-what?" he stammered.

Saline ignored Kodiak's surprise and said,"The reason you couldn't turn your sled was because you had a broken sapling caught in the runner. I broke it, so now you are free to go."

Apparently noticing Kodiak's surprised expression for the first time, Saline said,"What, did you think your dad was an only pup?"

Kodiak noticed that his mouth was hanging open and closed it. Thinking quickly, he lied,"No, I was more thinking that Aleu takes after you in a way."

Saline gave Kodiak a look, than said,"Did you know you chew your left front paw when you lie, and that Aleu broke that same leg first? Quite a coinsidence, wouldn't you say?"

Kodiak stared blankely for a second, then realised that his paw was in his mouth. "Actually, no, I didn't know that."

Roan chuckled. "Well, now you do, and so does your little girlfriend, there."

Kodiak's normally white face turned beet red."Dusty isn't...That is we're not..Erm..."

Kodiak could feel Dusty's stare on the back of his head. This was going to take some explaining.

**********

Aleu, Kodiak, Dusty, Balto, Jenna, Borris, Muru, Steele, Dingo copyright Universal.

Songs used: "Who you Really are" from Balto 2.

Nathon, Gasi Mordos, Kodi, Sira, Roan, Saline copyright JackOdd(FanFiction dot net), Aleuisbest (Baltosource dot timduru dot org).


	4. Author's Note

Author's note:

I know that y'all probably want to get on with the story, but it's gong to be a day or two until chapter 4 is ready.

So, I decided to run a crash course to "entertain" you until the good part of the story comes back.

/

**Mushing terms**: I am going to tell you the correct terms for dog-sledding, or Mushing.

Contrary to popular belief, the word "Mush" is not a command used in sledding.

* **Hike**: Gets the dogs moving

* **Gee**: Turn right

* **Haw**: Turn left

*** Come Gee! Come Haw!**:180 degree turn in either direction

* **Easy**: Slow down

* **Whoa!**: Halt or stop the dogs

* **Line Out**: Tells lead dog to get all dogs in line, straight in front of sled

/

Sled arrangement:

In the movie, Balto, there are seven dogs on a team (unless your name is Steele, then there are eight: seven plus yourself.). This is not a reality. In real life, there are six dogs on a team, arranged like so:

http ://seen .mainetoday. com/gallery_photos/2009/01/29/313/3906_dogsledpicture_ 580. jpg

* * *

Sorry about the address, but the uncooperative site wouldn't let me save with the diagram inside the document, and it also would not let me add a link. You will need to delete some spaces, again the site's fault.

I am actually telling you this because this information is important to chapter 4.

This diagram is still not entirely accurate. The right side is set forward from the left.

The diagram is not to scale, and the spacing between dogs is actually the length of the dog in different lengths between them.

Example: The right lead dog is the distance of the left lead dog in front of the right point dog.

Now that I have wasted your time and probably confused you, I will put more information on this note. However, I will make it about my story (Finally, something fun to read and write about!)

The order of dogs on the team (If the dog is named, that is...) Is like so:

Kodiak is right lead. Dusty is left lead. Ralph is right point, and Kirby is left point. One of the wheel dogs is unknown, and the other is Kodiak's brother from the same litter as Nathon, but I haven't given him (or her) a name yet.

Chapter 4 coming soon!


	5. Mystery and Mayhem

Kodiak ran. Now that the sled was repaired, his team could get back to Nome.

Hearing a shout, Kodiak stopped. A grey-brown wolf came to a stop next to him.

"Roan," Kodiak said, surprised. "Why are you here? We left your land an hour ago."

Panting, the wolf said,"I was sent with a message to be relayed to Aleu. There is to be a meeting of all ten wolf packs in the land. The Alpha is required to be there. However, we have taken the liberty of explaining the circumstances, so expect company in Nome."

"Okay, I'll tell her. Passing messages, I can definately do."

"Yeah," muttered Dusty from just behind Kodiak,"but don't trust him to drive."

**********

Balto wandered through town. He was looking for Jenna. Balto knew Jenna wasn't in Nome.

He had seen her up on the hill. Then, she had left.

The most disturbing thing about the event wasn't that Jenna had left town for the first time since 1925.

It was the complete lack of tracks going down off the hill.

**********

Sira trampled the snow in a circle. The outline was nearly perfecly round, and every inch of the snow inside was undisturbed.

Kodi watched nearby as Sira worked.

"Oh, no, not this again. That thing you do creeps me out. And besides, mom said 'only in an emergency'. You know what it does to you!" Kodi told Sira.

Sira stopped and slowly turned toward Kodi. "Mom is missing. I think this qualifies as an emergency!"

"Oh, well. Don't come crying to me when you have the nightmares." Kodi curled up and said,"I'm gonna take a nap. Don't wake me when you want to get started."

"I won't."

Sira sat before her creation and stared into space, as if she was in a trance. Her eyes, normally blue with yellow where the whites were supposed to be, glowed only blue. Her tail rose of it's own accord and floated like a dancing rope. the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and lightning flashed in the distance.

Kodi's head popped up, and he shouted,"Sira!"

The untrampled snow inside Sira's circle all turned to steam, leaving behind only a thin, glassy sheet. The steam swirled around the edge of the circle and rose in the center, forming shapes and shadows and creating an image that soon gained color, then voice.

**********

Kodiak and his team jogged tiredly out of the woods just outside of Nome only to be greated by a bizzare sight.

Sira was sitting outside a circle of swirling, glowing steam. Sound emanated in bursts from the apparation.

"That's not normal," Ralph called from the right point position. "Kodi, you have a weird family."

"In Nome, until my weird family leaves, my name is Kodiak.

**********

Steele told the silver wolf everything he knew. It felt good.

Revenge was so sweet! Now, there would be an entired pack after the crippled Aleu.

Plans were to be made. Balto would fall tonight!

**********

Kodi was afraid. Even when she couldn't control her power, Sira had never had such a big effect.

Kodi forced himself to focus on the sounds and pictures coming from Sira's circle. He saw Aleu, walking next to Jenna, though Jenna didn't seem to know it.

Suddenly, Aleu stopped. She turned and looked straight at Kodi. Her eyes glowed lemon yellow, and her voice came into Kodi's head.

"I am trying to bring her back, my children. She seems to think that there is something she is to do out here. Go, enjoy yourselves, and don't use your powers."

Sira's eyes returned to normal, and the mist fell back onto the ice.

The scrying was complete.

**********

"You are very clever, Steele. By destroying Aleu, we will both achieve our goals! Hoever there is still one problem." The silver wolf, who had now introduced herself as Gasi Mordos, said sweetly to Steele.

Steele frowned. Something was wrong. Why else would Gasi speak like that to him?

"What problem, my leige?"

"You see, I always kill the bearer of bad news. It kind of keeps the stress to a minimum. It's also really good at anger management."

"How is this a problem, my liege?" Steele took a step back. Some of the wolves that had brought Steele here blocked the cave entrance.

"You brought me news that Aleu is, in fact, alive. If she is alive, I'm not Alpha."

Steele's last move was to put a surprised expression on his face.

**********

As soon as Kodiak was out of his harness, he trotted over to where he had seen Sira and Kodi.

Sitting next to Sira, Kodiak said," I'd ask where your mother was, but then I'd have to pretend that I didn't already know where she isn't."

Sira, looking very surprised to see Kodiak replied,"You guessed correctly. She left last night. She also left no trail."

Kodiak left, saying something about visiting his father and mother.

Kodi looked at Sira and said,"Shouldn't we catch up to him and tell him about his mother?"

Sira shook her head."No, Grandpa Balto wanted to tell him."

Kodi stared at Sira for a moment, then said, "You are sleeping with grandpa tonight. You stay away from me!"

Sira giggled."What? You scared of my post-scry nightmares?"

Kodi glared, then said,"No, I'm scared of not getting sleep at night. Grandpa already has to go through that, so HE won't mind!"

**********

**Author's note**

**Ha Ha I am now ending the chapter right here! Chapter 5 will not be here until next Monday, and **_**you will have to wait**_**!**

**I laugh in your general direction! *Turns away from you* HA! (I have bad aim...)**


	6. Return to Nome

Sira watched helplessly from the sidelines as a dog she didn't know was mauled. She may not have known the dog, but she still wanted to help him. She had seen him around town recently, and she knew he was on mail with Sira's uncle, Kodiak, but that was all she knew.

Sira tried for a third time to break through the barrier that prevented her from helping the dog, but stopped when she heard her name called distantly.

Sira sat straight up. Her body was drenched with a cold sweat, deading on her grey-brown fur. Her grandfather, Balto, stood over her, with a fresh scratch on his leg.

"You know, you're mean when you have nightmares. You scratched me pretty good there."

Sira stared with horror at the scratch on Balto's leg.

"I did that?" She finally managed to choke out,"I didn't think my claws were that sharp."

Balto stretched, then strolled out onto the deck of his wrecked boat, where Sira and her brother, Kodi, were staying until they could return with their mother, Aleu, to their pack.

Sira suddenly felt a presence behind her. She knew it hadn't been there just a few seconds before. Or had it?

Sira swung around and kicked.

**********

Gasi Mordos turned to her council of ten. "Let's go!" She called."We are going on a little trip."

The small group of wolves ran out of the clearing, into the woods. They were headed to a small human developement called Nome.

Seconds later, a red huskey trotted cautiously out of the forest from the opposite direction.

After looking around in the small clearing and seeing the newly abandoned cave, she called out,"Aleu, I know you're following me. Those crutches aren't exactly made for stealth."

The air shimmered, and a pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared about two feet above the ground. The air around the eyes shimmered, and Aleu appeared.

"You don't have to shout. I'm right here."

"Wow, you were a lot closer than I thought. so you heard everything?"

"I heard nothing I didn't already know."

"Wait a second. Where you just invisible?"

"No. I have an ability to cause halucinations, such as seeing and hearing or not seeing and not hearing things."

Suddenly, a wolf came back into the clearing. He stood right in between Jenna and Aleu, and looked around, as if looking for something. Then, as if seeing nothing, the wolf ran back into the forest.

"Well?" Gasi Mordos's voice drifted out of the forest.

"Nothing, Lady Mordos. I was sure I saw something, and I know I heard something, but there are no tracks, no scents, no anything that shouldn't be there."

"Good. You know what I do to wolves or anybody that brings me bad news. I will let you off, but only since you told me what I wanted to hear."

"You are too gracious, Lady Mordos. Thank you, Lady Mordos."

"I know I'm too gracious. Now, onward to Nome!"

Jenna waited a few seconds, then let out the breath she'd been holding. "Who was that?"

Aleu was slow to answer, but after a few seconds, she said,"That was Gasi Mordos, my Beta. She thinks that I am an unfit leader, and wishes to be Alpha."

"Your Beta? As in, second in command? But she wants to kill you!"

"Ever hear the saying, 'Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer'?"

"Okay, now I understand. But what does she do to the ones who bring her bad news?" Jenna started to walk toward the cave entrance, but tripped just before she entered, and found herself staring into the lifeless eyes of Steele.

Aleu looked at Jenna with a look of seriousness that was way beyond her years, and said,"She kills them."

**********

"Ow! Girl's got some moves!" Nathon was talking to Kodiak, who was helping him with his newly bruised chin.

"Yes. That is why you don't sneak up behind someone who was raised in dangerous territory. Now hold still," Kodiak said. He was trying to rub some stolen medicated ointment onto Nathon's sore jaw.

Dusty came over from her post across the street. "Well, they found Ralph. Unfortunately, he is unable to run. Apparently, he got in with the wrong crowd."

Kodiak finished rubbing lotion onto Nathon, then turned to Dusty."How much does he owe?"

Dusty grimaced. "A hundred and fifty large bones."

Now, it was Kodiak's time to make faces. "Wow, that's a lot. How the heck did he get in that far?"

"Apparently, he went to Mugs. And more bad news. We can't find a replacement dog to do the mail run for a while."

"Don't look at me. My family is already screwed up. Did you see what Sira did to Nathon this morning?"

Dusty leaned in to see, then winced and backed away. "Ouch. What did they do, play football and forget not to tackle?" Dusty was referring to her owner's children, who were always hurting themselves while playing football.

Kodiak remembered something that Dingo had told him about the big news story that made the front page this week. "No, that's some retriever down south. Nathon tried to sneak up on Sira."

"Speaking of Sira, when do I get to meet your niece and nephew?"

"You mean you haven't met?" Kodiak was genuinely surprised."We're gonna have to fix that."

**********

Jenna backpedalled and screamed."It's Steele! He's here! And he's dead!"

Aleu stared into space."Steele. Black and white huskey, full of himself, angry at dad. Correct?"

"Yeah. How did you know? Did you meet him?"

Aleu shook her head. "We never met face to face. Steele was the one who told Gasi Mordos that I was still alive."

**********

Dusty was pleased to meet Sira, but Kodi was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, seen only by Sira, the air behind Nathon began to shimmer.

Sira pretended that she didn't see it. Like that would help.

Nathon spun and kicked, perfectly imitating the move Sira had done on him. He missed, however, because his target wasn't there.

It was above him. Then, it was on him. Kodi was here. He could actually turn invisible, not like Aleu. And, he could fly.

Another dog darted around the corner. It was Susan, from the mail team. She was also Nathon's sister.

Susan paused for a moment, to catch her breath. She had obviously run for quite some time, if she needed a breather.

Susan looked Kodiak in the eye, and said,"They're here."

**********

Nome was in an uproar. A small group of wolves had just ran into town and into an alleyway, where they had just sat.

They were waiting. Wolves were the most patient creatures you could find if you wanted waiting. After all, they were hunters.

Kodi and Sira ran around the corner, and saw the wolves.

Like flipping a switch, thier personalities changed.

"Esteemed and raised few,"began Sira,"We regret to inform you, that our mother, Aleu, is unable to join us at this selected moment."

"As her heirs, we are to take her place until a time comes when she, the Alpha of the Northern Ice Pack, may join us,"Kodi added.

Susan, amazed at the sudden change, turned to go.

One of the wolves noticed. "You may stay, sister of the missing, until the Lost Alpha releases you. Of course, that is not an order."

Susan, glad to be able to see real live wolves in action, sat near the wall of the alley. She noticed another wolf study her with distaste.

"Then, we shall begin. We, the Alphas of the land, have called this meeting to discuss matters most important. You, the Northern Ice, cannot-WILL not- stay in the land."

"May we enquire why, oh noble ones?" Sira and Kodi now spoke in well-practiced unison. It was clear that this was protocol in the wolf's domain. Susan had a feeling that they already knew.

"The law clearly states that there can only be ten packs residing in a territory at a time. Any more would upset the balance of all. You must either leave, or join with an excisting pack."

"Or, they can die!" A new voice interrupted. All eyes turned to look upon the intruder. A large silver wolf, flanked by ten other wolves of various size and shape, blocked the entrance of the alleyway.

"Who are you to intrude on our meeting?" A wolf-dog in the group called out,"You don't belong here."

"You don't belong anywhere, half-breed,"said the wolf, earning a collective gasp from the group. Nobody called this leader half-breed. "You wouldn't happen to be related to these...freaks, would you?" she refered to Sira and Kodi.

"As a matter of fact, she is." Aleu's voice was heard over the din of laughing wolves and the silver wolf's voice."Now _back off._"

The sternness in Aleu's voice made Susan shudder. She had never heard anyone that stern, not her father, not her mother, not even her person. Aleu was scary.

The silvery wolf spun around, and revealed Aleu standing just behind her.

"Surprised to see me, Gasi? Or should I use the english translation, Storm Killer."

Gasi Mordos was thouroghly angry. She whacked the closest animal to her-which just happened to be Susan.

Susan went flying across the alley and banged her head against the back wall if the alley.

Aleu's eyes flashed. "So, you want to be Alpha, do you? Well, here's your chance. You are now Alpha for one month. If, at the end of a month, you still wish to be Alpha, then you are Alpha forever, no takebacks. But, if at the end of a month, you think being Alpha isn't as fun as you thought it was, come back here and find me. Nava!" Aleu spun to face a box that was at the entrance of the alley,"Go and tell the rest of the pack about this minor change." The box bulged, and a grey wolf stepped out from the wood. He ran into the edge of town and dissappeared.

Aleu spun back to Gasi Mordos. "You want me dead, huh? Well, you got your wish. For the next month, for all intents and purposes, I am dead. When I awaken at the end of a month, you must have made your choice. Dismissed, _Alpha._" Aleu's eyes glowed for a second, then stopped. Susan quietly grunted, then was quiet herself. Aleu tumbled to the ground in a heap. Her eyes were lifeless, though she still breathed.

Without a word, Gasi Mordos turned and left. Nome was safe. For now.

Susan stirred. Sira looked at her with concern. She didn't seem to be worried about Aleu.

"Are you okay, Susan?"

"We...are fine." Susan's voice seemed echoed, like there were two people talking.

In fact, thought Sira with surprise, there are two people talking. One of the voices was Susan's, and the other's was Aleu's.

Sira, Kodi, Gasi Mordos, Susan, the Council, Nathon copyright JackOdd/Aleuisbest

Balto, Steele, Jenna, Ralph, Dusty, Aleu, Kodiak copyright Universal


	7. The Hunter Tamed

Gasi Mordos was stunned. She had gone to Nome, expecting a fight, not to be just handed what she wanted on a silver platter. Instead on having to murder to get the promotion, she was given it on a trial basis.

Last week, she wanted to ba Alpha. Today, not so much.

"Lady Mordos, we are once again low on provisions. Lady Mordos, we need to hunt." Gasi Mordos was sick of hearing about the problems of the pack, the food supply, the complaints, all of it.

On top of all the problems, Gasi Mordos no longer had any time to herself. Between meetings with the other pack Alphas and fielding complaints, Gasi was up from before dawn to well after dusk. _And I don't personally solve the problems like Aleu_, Gasi suddenly realized._How did she manage?_

**********

Balto sighed. Hearing two voices saying the same thing at the same time all the time was getting him a huge headache. "Ok, stop. Both of you. I'm gonna go do something about this headache."

Aleu/Susan cocked her head. "We do not understand. What headache?"

Nearby, Nathon covered his ears and gritted his teeth. When Aleu/Susan spoke, her voice was the same as the two entitys inside her body speaking simultaneously. It was a very disturbing experience, and Nathon had taken the full blunt of it. His ears were the most sensitive in Nome, after all.

A slamming noise came from outside, on the deck of Balto's boat. Curious, Aleu/Susan trotted out to see what it was.

Balto was slamming his head into the outside wall of the cabin.

"We are no experts, but we assume that giving yourself bruises on your scalp will not help your headache."

Kodiak climbed onto the boat from the direction of Nome. "No, but I know what will. We finally found a replacement dog for the sled team, so we have to go, Aleu-I mean, Susan-I mean...Oh, just come on!"

Balto watched them go, then put a paw on his forehead and said,"Finally! Some piece and quiet at last!"

"Not quite, grandpa! You still have us!"

Balto groaned and resumed slamming his head against the cabin.

**********

Kodiak shushed Aleu/Susan. "Listen, guys. These dogs know nothing of what happened last week. We don't need them to know, so please don't talk."

"Why shouldn't we talk?"

"Oh, boy. Can you even hear yourselves?"

"We hear only our voice."

"Voices, you mean. When you talk, you have both the voice of Aleu and the voice of Susan. You can't let them hear you. Susan is the second-Quietest dog in Nome, so it shouldn't be a problem if you don't speak."

"We will try."

Kodiak motioned for them to go, then they walked into town center. The mail team stood near a sled. Though they were wearing harnesses, they were not hooked up to the sled.

"Hey, why aren't we hooked up?"Kodiak asked.

"The new musher is rearranging us for some reason."Dusty replied from her spot, sitting atop the sled."We were waiting for you guys."

Seeming concerned, Kodiak started whispering with Dusty.

"Look who decided to show up. You gonna talk today, Susan, or you still gonna mope around like the baby you are?" Said a menacing voice behind Aleu/Susan.

**********

Gasi Mordos was determined to figure out how Aleu could do everything, and yet still have time for herself. She just had to rearange everything.

Turning to one of her original followers, Gasi Mordos said,"Take one of the others, and feild complaints. Try to solve every problem you possibly can. If you cannot solve the problem, then send the wolf to me." When the follower started to answer, Gasi Mordos interupted,"Oh! And tell all the wolves that I am to be adressed as Storm. Gasi Mordos is such a mouthful, don't you think?" The wolf started to answer again, but Gasi Mordos interupted again,"One more thing. Send Blaze in here. I need his...abilities. Go!"

Now, instead of trying to answer, the wolf simply bowed and rushed out, guesturing to one of his colleagues.

'Now, to deal with the other Alphas,' thought the wolf who was once Gasi Mordos, but was now Storm,'Let's see how the little cockroaches like my...SCORCHING remarks!' Storm laughed in the back of her throat. This was going to be fun.

**********

Aleu/Susan turned and kicked in one fluid move. As her paw met its mark, she heard startled gasps from all around her.

Then an argument started inside her. _You aren't supposed to let them know, Aleu! I can't move like that!_Susan's mind protested.

_You can now. _Was Aleu's calm response.

_I thought I was in control. How did you even do that, Aleu? _Questioned Susan. It was true. Susan's body, Susan's power. Or so it was supposed to be.

_Since I have mastered the Elements ten and eight of the States of Mind ten, I have the most expanded mind._

_Even in my brain, you talk in riddles. At least say something I can understand._

There was something of a mind-sigh. _The Elements ten are everything that makes life. They are _Aquitus, Sol, Terra, Brisa, DiSol, Fiamme, Anum, Mordon, Charus, and Bas_. The way you speak, they are water, light, earth, air, dark, fire, life or plants, death, change, and balance or unity. To master them is to understand what role each plays in the life of all._

_For example...?_

_For example, without _Bas_, you couldn't get up and walk to get _Aquitus_, so your _Fiamme_ would fade and eventually _Mordo_, or die._

_My _Fiamme_? I have a _Fiamme_?_

Another sigh._ Your_ Fiamme_ is the measure of your _Anum._ If it dies, so do you. So if you don't have your balance, you can't get to-_

_My water. If I can't get to my water, I will dehydrate, and my life measure will begin to decrease. When it goes completely out, then I will be dead, all because I couldn't walk. Is that right?_

_Absolutely. Now, Pay attention. Kodiak is talking to you._

"What do you think you're doing?" Whispered Kodiak,"You could have delayed the mail even more. By the way, I'm just going to call you Susan, it's a lot easier."

Susan whispered back,"We were simply not allowing him to continue to call us babies."

Kodiak's eyes grew wide, but he said nothing.

"We can see your girlfriend spying on us now. Did you tell her our predicament?"

Kodiak shot his head up so fast, you would have thought his gravity had reversed. Sure enough, Dusty was standing on the other side of Susan, looking very confused.

She slunk up next to Kodiak, and said,"How come I am hearing and seeing Susan talk, but at the same time I am also hearing Aleu?"

Kodiak studied his paws."It's a long story."

Dusty glared, then said,"Start talking."

**********

Kodi and Sira giggled as they watched their grandfather show them what he knew about hunting.

In outher words, absolutely nothing.

He was currently showing them how he would pounce. Grandpa Balto was not even a beginner hunter.

Sira snuck in and pounced the pouncer, them showed him how he could do better. Now Balto was a beginner hunter.

And this was going to be a long week.

**********

The mail team got to white mountain 5 hours early, though they had started almost an hour late.

It was all thanks to their new lead dog.

"Susan," panted Dusty,"where did you learn to run so fast? You could put your father to shame."

When Kodiak had refused to tell Dusty why she was hearing things, Dusty had told the entire team what she had heard.

Now, Susan could talk with no suspision.

"We have always been able to run, but today was the fastest ever."

_Yuck. Why did you tell them that?_

_It's true, is it not? You have never gone that fast yet._

_Aleu, how did we run that fast? We made up five hours we never lost, plus the hour we did lose._

_I recon your body has a new power coming in._

_Oh, we're talking western now? Y'all get out of my brain!_

_Negatory, pardner. I em here to stay, and you can't get me away._

**********

"Now you're getting it, grandpa Balto! Keep this up, and you may hit level zero by the end of next week!" Teased Sira.

Balto was still unable to fend for himself out in the wild, but he was improving drastically.

"Don't you think I'm a little old for this?" Balto groaned as he pushed himself off the ground.

"No. You're never too old to learn how to hunt."

Balto groaned tiredly and colapsed on the ground.

Aleu/Susan, Susan, Kodi, Sira, Gasi Mordos (Storm), Blaze, Nathon, Copyright JackOdd/Aleuisbest

Aleu, Balto, Kodiak, Dusty Copyright Universal.


End file.
